Why International Sitters Are Skipping the US (2026)

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This is not legal or immigration advice. We are not lawyers or immigration specialists. This article reports publicly available data and documented cases from established news sources, government statistics, and industry research. It reflects no political opinion, ours or otherwise, only the facts as currently reported. Confirm your own specific situation with an official source before traveling.

This has been one of the most discussed topics on the TrustedHouseSitters forum over the past few weeks, international sitters saying they won't consider a US sit right now, citing immigration enforcement, visa uncertainty, and cost. We wanted to actually research it properly rather than repeat forum sentiment, and the data backs up that something real is happening: international arrivals to the US fell 14.1% year-over-year in April 2026, marking nine consecutive months of decline, and the US was the only country among 184 tracked by the World Travel & Tourism Council to see international visitor spending fall in 2025. This article lays out exactly what's documented, without taking a political position on it either way.

We want to be upfront about why we're writing this. Neither of us had a strong personal read on whether this was a real trend or just forum noise, we've never had a US sit fall through for any of these reasons ourselves, and neither had anyone we've directly spoken to.

But when the same concerns kept surfacing across multiple TrustedHouseSitters forum threads over several weeks, running, at various points, from immigration enforcement to visa uncertainty to everyday cost, it seemed worth actually researching properly rather than repeating whatever sentiment happened to be loudest that week. What follows is what we found, sourced directly, without either dismissing the concern or amplifying it beyond what the data actually supports.

We use TrustedHouseSitters as our primary platform, and we've watched this conversation play out in real time in the community. This article covers what's actually documented across four areas: immigration enforcement and border experiences, visa and entry policy changes, the broader tourism data, and the more everyday cost factors, groceries and tipping, that come up less dramatically but are still real.

Immigration Enforcement at the Border

Several specific, documented cases have driven a meaningful share of the concern being discussed. A German tourist, Lucas Sielaff, was held for 16 days at a US immigration detention facility after being accused of violating the terms of his 90-day tourist entry, according to AP reporting. Another German visitor, Jessica Brösche, was detained for six weeks, including over a week in solitary confinement, after being stopped near San Diego. A backpacker from Wales was held for nearly three weeks at a US-Canada border crossing, and a Canadian woman traveling on a work visa was detained for 12 days at the same crossing. None of these cases involved criminal charges.

Separately, a coalition of human rights and immigration organizations issued a formal travel alert ahead of the 2026 World Cup specifically warning international visitors that Florida, a host state, is "no longer a safe destination" given expanded cooperation between state agencies and federal immigration enforcement. US Customs and Border Protection has also expanded its use of biometric checks and secondary inspection at ports of entry, including phone and laptop searches under current directives, according to immigration law reporting.

In direct response to this pattern, Canada, the UK, Germany, Denmark, and Finland have all updated official government travel advisories for citizens visiting the United States, with several specifically flagging additional caution for transgender travelers.

Our house sitting safety guide covers general travel preparedness worth reading regardless of destination, and it's a reasonable starting point if any of this makes you want to be more deliberate about how you prepare for international sits generally, not just US ones.

What the Tourism Data Actually Shows

The scale of the decline is documented through official US government sources. The National Travel and Tourism Office reported 2.6 million international arrivals in April 2026, a 14.1% drop from the same month the previous year, and the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year decline as of January 2026's data. Total international visitors fell from 72.3 million in 2024 to 68.3 million in 2025, well below the record 79.4 million recorded in 2018.

The World Travel & Tourism Council's analysis of 184 global destinations found the US was the only country among them to see international visitor spending actually decline in 2025, even as global tourism overall grew. Industry research firm Tourism Economics had originally forecast an 8.8% gain in overseas visitors to the US for 2025; the actual result was a decline of roughly 5-6%, a significant swing from projection to reality.

One nuance worth including for accuracy: the decline is not evenly distributed. Canada accounts for a disproportionate share of it, with Canadian visits to the US down 22% for 2025, reportedly tied to broader diplomatic and trade tension between the two countries. According to at least one industry analyst, excluding Canada from the total, international visitation to the US was actually up slightly, around 1%, suggesting the picture varies significantly by country of origin rather than being uniform everywhere.

If a US sit no longer feels like the right call for you right now, our best platforms for international house sitting guide covers where else demand and listing density are genuinely strong, and our future house sitting trends piece touches on how shifts like this one tend to reshape where sitters actually go next.

Visa and Entry Policy Changes

Alongside enforcement, visa processing delays and expanded entry bans have been cited repeatedly by industry sources as contributing factors. The US Travel Association testified before Congress that America was losing its position as a top global tourist destination, citing visa processing times, border procedures, and what it described as a broader perception problem affecting international travel decisions.

The Actual Visa Requirements for House Sitting in the US

This is a real, documented issue, not a theoretical grey area. US Customs and Border Protection has taken the explicit position that unpaid house sitting constitutes work, because the free accommodation received counts as compensation for services rendered, and this directly conflicts with the terms of the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA), which prohibit entrants from receiving any compensation for services performed during their stay. A documented case exists of a house sitter being deported from Los Angeles International Airport on exactly this basis, with the case also covered by The Guardian/Observer.

TrustedHouseSitters' own stated position is that international house sitting is fine for genuine tourists, since the purpose of the trip is a holiday, not employment. But that's the platform's interpretation, not CBP's, and the deportation case shows the two don't agree. The UK takes an equally strict position, the Home Office has told Reuters directly that house sitting is considered work there too and isn't permitted under a UK tourist visa. This isn't unique to America.

Separately, the general entry framework worth knowing: most visitors enter either via ESTA (90 days maximum, no extensions, available to citizens of 42 countries including the UK, Germany, France, Australia, and New Zealand) or a B-1/B-2 visitor visa for citizens of other countries, generally valid up to six months with the possibility of an extension. Both categories are legally defined to exclude "skilled or unskilled labor" and "local employment or labor for hire", the exact language CBP has used to justify treating unpaid house sitting as a violation.

The practical reality, based on what's documented, is that this remains a genuine, unresolved conflict between how the industry describes itself and how at least two governments have actually enforced entry rules. If you're planning to house sit in the US, we'd strongly recommend researching your specific situation directly with an immigration professional rather than relying on platform guidance or general community wisdom, given that CBP has already demonstrated it's willing to act on this position at the border.

The More Everyday Factors: Groceries and Tipping

Beyond the immigration-related headlines, more everyday cost factors genuinely affect how far a budget stretches for an international visitor.

Grocery and food costs. US food-at-home prices were running roughly 2.7-2.9% higher year-over-year as of mid-2026, with restaurant prices up more, around 3.5-3.6%. Average weekly grocery spending in the US sat around $169 as of February 2026.. This isn't a dramatic spike compared to recent years, but it's a real, sustained cost, and it adds up meaningfully for anyone traveling on a tight budget or planning to string multiple sits together.

Tipping and tax stacking. This is a genuine cultural and financial adjustment for a lot of international visitors specifically. In the US, the standard tipping expectation at a restaurant is a minimum of 20% on top of the bill, not the smaller, optional amounts common in much of Europe, Australia, or elsewhere.

On top of that, sales tax is not included in listed prices the way it is in most other countries, it's calculated and added at checkout, which means the number on the menu or the price tag isn't the number you'll actually pay.

Together, these two factors can add 25-30% or more to the sticker price of everyday purchases, a real adjustment worth planning for specifically, since it catches a lot of first-time visitors off guard. Our tipping etiquette guide covers this in more practical detail.

Our full house sitting cost breakdown covers how these kinds of everyday costs factor into the bigger financial picture of this lifestyle, useful context regardless of which country you're actually sitting in.

What This Means If You're Weighing a US Sit

None of this means a US house sit is impossible or automatically risky, the vast majority of international visitors continue to enter and leave without any issue at all, and the documented detention cases, while real, represent a small fraction of total visitors. But given how much of this is currently being discussed within the house sitting community specifically, it's worth going in informed rather than either dismissing the concern entirely or avoiding a US sit based on secondhand forum sentiment alone.

If you're considering a US sit as an international sitter, our guide to house sitting legal issues and our guide to what to tell customs when house sitting abroad are both worth reading directly, alongside confirming your own specific visa situation with an official government source rather than general guidance like this article. Our digital nomad visa guide covers alternative countries actively courting long-term visitors right now, worth considering if the current US climate gives you pause.

Have you changed your own plans around a US sit because of any of this? We'd genuinely like to hear real, first-hand experiences rather than secondhand forum discussion, drop it in the comments below.

Our pre-sit video call guide is also worth revisiting before any international sit, US or otherwise, since a direct conversation with the homeowner is often the best place to raise any location-specific questions you're genuinely unsure about.

The Bottom Line

The data is real: international arrivals to the US are down significantly, the US was the only major destination among 184 tracked globally to see visitor spending decline in 2025, and specific, documented cases of prolonged tourist detention have led several governments to formally update their travel advice.

Alongside that, more everyday cost factors, grocery inflation, and a tipping and tax culture that genuinely differs from much of the rest of the world, add real friction for anyone traveling on a budget.

We're not taking a position on the underlying policies driving any of this. We're reporting what's documented, so that anyone in the house sitting community weighing a US sit right now can make that decision with accurate information rather than forum rumor in either direction.

Caro and I have completed 20 house sits across 12 countries, driven 19,000km across Europe in our 1998 VW T4, and saved over $26,500 in accommodation costs over three years of house sitting through TrustedHouseSitters. If you have questions or your own experience to share on this, DM us @housesittersguide, we answer everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is it actually true that fewer international sitters are considering the US right now?

  Based on broader tourism data, yes, there's a real, documented decline in international visitors to the US overall, down 14.1% year-over-year as of April 2026, with nine consecutive months of decline. Whether this specifically reflects house sitters as a group isn't separately tracked, but it aligns with what's being widely discussed in house sitting community forums.

• How common are tourist detentions at the US border?

  Genuinely rare in proportion to total visitor numbers, but real, documented cases exist, including detentions lasting from 12 days to over six weeks, reported by established news outlets. Several governments have updated official travel advisories in response.

• Are grocery and everyday costs a significant factor?

  They're real but more moderate than the immigration-related headlines. US food-at-home prices are running roughly 2.7-2.9% higher year-over-year as of mid-2026, and the combination of a 20% minimum tipping expectation plus sales tax added at checkout, rather than included in listed prices, can add 25-30% or more to everyday purchases.

• Should international sitters avoid the US entirely right now?

  This article doesn't take a position on that. The vast majority of visitors continue to enter and exit the US without incident. The goal here is accurate information, not a recommendation either way, and anyone considering a US sit should confirm their own specific visa situation with an official source.

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